September in the Garden

Normally September in the garden brings lovely spring rains and cool nights and warm days, it doesn't normally bring an 8`C above average temperature and severe storm warnings in the first week. So this month we need to approach the garden a little differently. We need to prepare our garden to survive the weather ahead. and We still just enough cool weather opportunities to do this in before its too hot to get out in the yard.

Jobs to do

It seems like garden prep for summer never ends....well with an early summer here its going to end soon. While yes we have been preparing for 3 months for an early summer its now pretty close to arriving. Now is the time to finalise things before we sit back and hide in the shade and try to keep our plants watered.

• Lightly dig over and add manure and compost to empty garden beds

• Add compost under existing plants and fruit trees

• Prune trees near your house, remove all dead wood, leaves out of gutter and gutter maintenance

• If you are into Lawn care, this is the time to re seed or better yet, add some clovers, plantain and other low growing soft herbs to the lawn.

• Tip prune native shrubs to create more sideways growth, and bushiness

• Those seeds we started in June, time to plant them out

• Check for rodents in the compost and shed.

• Control the bronze shield bugs and fruit fly

• Hand weed and replace the spot the weed was with a veggie seed/s

• Dead head annuals, keep up with it each morning so they look their best.

• Keep and eye out for aphids and powdery mildew, address the underlying causes

• Mulch with a water penetrable material, make sure any bare soil has a plant.

• Plant water sensitive plants in pots, so you can bring them out of the rains, or create wicking pots for those that love water

• Aerate soil with a board fork, apply silica (liquid or powder) to loosen our red clays. apply gypsum too

• Re pot any plants that need it now (wear a mask when handling potting mix)

• Add in under mulch irrigation if you can

• keep the water up to citrus so they will set their fruit well

• check drainage pathways ahead of heavy rain that will come with the storms, manage erosion

• Shade duck and chook areas, plant summer forage mixes

• Check ducks and chooks health, keep fresh clean water and protect from wild birds, including from fecal material such as off roofs (redirect any rain catchment from roofs to drain away from chook and duck areas)

Small Garden Specific Jobs

Smaller gardens need to focus on keeping pots and small in ground areas cool over the heat. All pavers and concreate areas will build up heat and transfer heat under pots. Unprotected pots will over heat the soil and kill plant roots. You can easily shade a pot with a few layers of hessian or with a wooden fence/planter box, when placing allow a 5cm gap for air flow.

Add mulch to all pots

Start creating your shade cloth supports and remember to shade pathways as well. Pigeon peas and rosellas make a nice shady hedge, while gourds and luffas create a quick growing heat tolerant shade roof. Use star pickets and wire fencing to help make arbors to support the vines.

Make teepees from bamboo stakes and grow climbing beans for a makeshift cool get away for pets and small children if you have the space to spare.

Large Garden Specific Jobs

With larger acreages, preparing your bush fire plan and finalising clearing dead woods and removing excess vegetation near your house and escape routes is a mush. As the season is already here with the wet autumn creating a lot of growth and now the dry end of winter and start of spring crisping everything up. Keep all bare soils covered if you can in green manure or low growing crops such as clovers and ground creepers, these will help lock in soil moister and prevent erosion. Both a help when facing a high risk season. Trim back dead or at risk branches from stock fencing to prevent earthing out, check long grasses along fencing too.

Establish your windbreaks and plant extra fodder crops along rows for feed.

Create extra Compost mounds/bays to increase your soil fertility and recovery next year, Compost created now can be ready for March/April gardens and Compost extracts can be applied over fields/pastures to help improve soil condition and water retention

What to plant

Fruit & Veggies

Seeds

Amaranth

Asparagus

Beans (bush, climbing, green and dried)

Beetroot

Bok choy

Capsicum

Carrot

Celery

Chilies

Cucumber

Eggplant

Leeks

Lettuce

Mustard Greens

Marrows

Peanuts

Pigeon Pea

Potato

Pumpkin

Pakchoy

Spring onions

Sunchokes

Radish

Rocket

Rosella

Rock melon

Silverbeet

Sweet corn

Sweet potato (slips)

Tomato

Watermelon

Zucchini

Seedlings

Amaranth

Asparagus

Baby Spinach

Beans

Beetroot

Broccoli

Cassava

Cabbage

Capsicum

Celery

Chili

Cucumber

Eggplant

Leek

Mustard greens

Marrows

Pumpkin

Pakchoy

Spring onions

Radish

Rocket

Rosella

Rock melon

Silverbeet

Tomato

Watermelon

Zucchini

Herbs

Seeds

Basil

Borage

Chamomile

Chives

Comfrey

Ginger (roots)

Galangalal (roots)

Lemon Balm

Lemon myrtle (large tree, saplings too)

Marjoram

Mint

Oregano

Plantain

Parsley

Fennel

Rosemary

Sage

Shiso, Wasabi, Horseradish

Stevia

Thyme

Turmeric (roots)

Seedlings

Basil

Borage

Chamomile

Chives (watch for aphids)

Comfrey

Dill

Fennel

Lemon Balm

Marjoram

Mint

Oregano

Parsley

Coriander

Rosemary

Sage

Shiso

Stevia

Marshmallow

Thyme

Flowers

Seeds

Amaranthus

Asters

Calendula

Cornflower

Coleus

Cosmos

Dianthus

Nasturtium

Pansy

Petunia

Phlox

Snap dragon

Salvia

Sunflower

Viola

Zinnia

Seedlings

Alyssum

Anise Hyssop

Aster

Calendula

Coleus

Cosmos

Cornflower

Dianthus

Lavender

Lupin

Nasturtium

Pansy

Petunia

Queen Annes Lace

Snap Dragon

Strawflower

Salvia

Sunflower

Verbena

Viola

Zinnia

Trees

Plant Avocados, Bananas, Custard Apples, Lychees, Macadamias, Mangoes, Mulberries, Sapodillas, Start fruits and rambutans, Other tropical fruit can be planted at the end of this month in positions that keep warm during winter. Other to plant are Native Elderflower, Midyim berry, Davidson plum Ribery (lillypilly variety) and Finger limes (collect the rainbow of colours) Happy growing, share your sucesses and if you need ask for help on our facebook page